Tactical Retreat
by Lord Raa
Summary: The action adventure high school love comedy that nobody asked for.
1. Chapter 1

Tactical Retreat

By Lord Raa

* * *

Chapter 1

* * *

Disclaim-me-do: To not gamble is also a gamble.

* * *

Sousuke Sagara did not consider himself a complicated young man. He just felt that there were boundaries that needed to be respected.

Unfortunately, it seemed that there were an increasing number of people who couldn't understand his position and enjoyed invading his personal space.

The mercenary's memory told him that it had started when he was eight years old, soon after the death of his parents. While he had appreciated the comforting embraces and words, there had been more than a few times when things had started to get weird. Especially after he met Gauron.

Sousuke shuddered at the way his former mentor had grown increasingly desperate to spend time with him. Their relationship had started to get creepy a long time ago, but as a soldier, Sousuke had endured it as he had so many of the other hardships that came with his line of work. That said, his fellow guerrillas only had to deal with bad food, trench-foot and dysentery; the threat to their chastity was quite low.

Gauron had stepped things up from the "come to my camp, Kashim, we've got food, ammo and AS spares" to the kidnap attempts. He'd even kidnapped Kaname in an attempt to get his hands on Sousuke.

It was something that had upset the scarred youth. He knew that he was a "grunt" and that it wasn't his place to question the orders; his was to carry them out to the best of his ability. He was OK with being used as a pawn in the grand scheme of things.

But that didn't mean that he liked it when people he had grown close to were treated like that; especially when they were non-combatants like Kaname Chidori.

"Chidori," Sousuke said quietly as he thought about his current assignment.

Kaname Chidori was something of an enigma to the young mercenary. There were times when she was nice to him; her cooking certainly tasted better than the MREs he usually ate and her notes on Japanese history and literature had proven invaluable. However there was another side to the Whispered girl; one that seemed to speak of untold frustration and it was hard to say what frustrated her the most.

The fact that she was a Whispered meant that she had an intelligence greater than most of her peers and it was well documented that the intelligent felt frustration with those less able than themselves. So was it that?

Was it the dangers that had arisen from her status as Whispered? The kidnapping attempts that she and those like her suffered would stress anyone to breaking point.

Perhaps it was him and his lack of social skills? There had been several times when he had felt like a fish out of water, and if their positions had been reversed, it was conceivable that he'd been frustrated with a non-combatant trying to help out, only to end up risking the lives of everyone in the combat unit.

Yawning, Sousuke decided he would not get to the root of why Kaname Chidori seemed so conflicted that night and tried to get some rest.

* * *

Meanwhile; Kaname Chidori was also preparing to get some rest. She had spent most of the evening doing her own homework and preparing some notes for Sousuke. While she didn't have much trouble with Japanese literature, she knew that the "Military Maniac" in her class was struggling.

"He better appreciate this," the blue-haired girl muttered good-naturedly as she placed the notebooks in her schoolbag.

Safe in the knowledge that if she remembered her bag, then she'd be able to help out a fellow student, Kaname undressed for bed. She caught a glimpse of her body in the mirror and turned to face it, striking several poses. It was no wonder that she was considered by some to be an idol at Jindai.

Laughing off her effortless attractiveness as youthful silliness, the Whispered girl slipped into her pyjamas and climbed into bed.

* * *

The next day at Jindai, Sousuke found himself standing out in the corridor as punishment. His history teacher didn't appreciate how difficult it was to pay attention to a surprisingly dull lesson delivered in a monotone that could send insomniacs to sleep and keep an eye out for threats to Kaname.

Not that he could explain why he thought it was necessary to visually sweep the room for threats more than normal.

During the morning briefing, the mercenary had received warning about a new threat towards Kaname. Kurz had begun to tease him about the need to shadow Chidori throughout the day, but Mao had put a stop to that.

Then the sprinkler outlet he was standing under failed spectacularly, drenching Sousuke's torso.

The class rushed to the doorway to see a stoic young man sigh before stripping off his soaked shirt to reveal a well-toned physique. After a second take, they saw the scars.

There were scars from countless missions; from faded ones from his days as a child soldier in Helmajistan, to the one near his hip that he got when he rescued Kaname during the hijacked school trip.

"Is something the matter?" Sousuke asked, wringing his shirt out of the window.

"Y-your body…" the teacher stammered. "W-what happened to it?"

"I can't talk about it," the mercenary said, wringing more water out of his shirt.

"B-but…"

"I think we have more pressing matters to attend to, Sensei, like shutting off the water."

"What? Yes, of course, Kazama-kun, get to the janitor's office and tell them to shut off the water to the sprinkler system," the history teacher ordered with a surprising amount of emotion in his voice.

"Yes, Gatoh-sensei," Shinji Kazama nodded before rushing off

As the bespectacled youth hurried off to get the water shut off, the class returned their attention to Sousuke's shirtless form.

"Sagara-kun, I…" Tetsuo Gatoh said, suddenly feeling bad about the way he'd treated the mercenary. "I'm ordering you to the Nurse's Office. You need to get dry before you catch a cold."

"Yes Sensei," Sousuke nodded before walking down the corridor, his scars moving with his taut musculature.

Kyoko Tokiwa quickly got some snaps of the departing youth. As she reviewed them on her camera, she noticed that she was being crowded.

"I-is something the matter?" she asked nervously.

"I don't think you should be taking pictures of Sagara-kun without his permission," Gatoh said. "It's not polite and he's obviously someone who appreciates his privacy."

"But what if he needs our help, Gatoh-sensei?" a female voice asked. "What if he's too ashamed to ask for it?"

"…" It occurred to the teacher that in many cases, abuse victims were too scared or ashamed to speak up. But a few scars aside, there was no evidence that Sousuke Sagara was an abuse victim, so what should he do?

"Look, I know that as his friends, you all have his best interests at heart, but you have to understand just how delicate this sort of thing can be. I'm not even sure what the best thing to do is in this case."

"But Sensei…"

"If you interfere, you might make it worse," Gatoh cut off the protests. "I'll discuss things with the Principal first. In the mean time, you're not to talk about this with anyone."

* * *

Nurse Ami Kawamori was finishing up some paperwork when the door to her office opened. She looked up to see a buff, shirtless young man standing there.

"Oh my, I… is something wrong?"

"I'm sorry to bother you, but do you have a towel I could use? One of the sprinklers in the corridor ruptured while I was standing under it."

"Y-yes, of course," the young woman said, rising from her chair. "Are you alright?"

"Yes," Sousuke answered as he took the towel from the nurse and began to dry himself off. After a few minutes he turned to the attractive redhead. "I don't suppose you have a dry shirt I could borrow for the rest of the day, do you?"

"I'm sorry, but I don't," Nurse Kawamori apologised. "I don't mean to pry, but were you in a car accident?"

"No, not that I can recall. Why do you ask?"

"Your scars," the redhead said, pointing to the left side of Sousuke's abdomen.

"Oh, these, don't worry about them. They've all long since healed. If you don't have a shirt I can borrow, do you know where I can find one?" the mercenary asked.

Before the nurse could answer, the door slid open an in walked the president of the student council, Hayashimizu Atsunobu.

"Sousuke Sagara, I presume?" the bespectacled young man greeted with a smile.

"Yes, and you are?" Sousuke asked as two more people entered the room. "Chidori-san, is there something the matter?"

"No, I… well, it's just that…" the Whispered girl trailed off, unsure of what to say next.

"There was some concern for your well-being, Sagara-kun," the Council President explained. "Several students reported that you had been standing under the sprinkler when it failed."

"I was, but I am now dry. Do you know if there are any spare shirts that I could borrow for the rest of the day?"

"I keep one for sports in my locker, please follow me," Atsunobu instructed. "Forgive me for not introducing myself, but my name if Hayashimizu Atsunobu, I'm the President of the Student Council."

Ren Mikihara was the other person to enter the room and she looked at the way Sousuke managed to maintain his dignity, despite the obvious embarrassment of having to walk the corridors of Jindai without at shirt on.

She couldn't help be feel attracted to the handsome, though somewhat intense young man. 'His eyes tell of so much hardship and sorrow…'

Kaname found her eyes drawn to the wound Sousuke had sustained during her rescue. It had bled considerably, but still the "Military Maniac" had continued on and brought her back safely.

It was only the fact that he was leaving with the president of the student council that prevented her from giving him a reassuring hug.

'He needs help,' Kaname decided.

* * *

Tessa Testarossa sat in her office and looked questioningly at her second-in-command.

"Mister Kalinin, do you really think that I need some time off?"

"I… I did not say that, Captain, but if you wish to take some leave while the Tuatha de Danaan is in dry-dock, then it's your decision," the grey haired man answered diplomatically.

"Yes, but where could I…" the teenager paused as she thought about where to go during her time off. A thought entered her head. "I could go to visit Sergeant Sagara. Isn't he due a performance assessment about now?"

Kalinin raised an eyebrow.

"Well, maybe I just made that up. But I… I miss him," Tessa replied with a blush.

"I see," the Russian man nodded. "I think that we can arrange for a short visit."

"Thank you, Mister Kalinin, I'd consider this a personal favour if you could arrange it for me."

"I'll personally contact Sousuke now to see if there's any possibility."

* * *

Sousuke had just finished hanging out two freshly washed shirts to dry when he received a call from Kalinin.

"¬Sergeant Sagara, there's something I need to talk to you about.¬"

"What is it, Sir? Is there a mission you need me for?" the young man asked, eyeing the weapons he was planning to clean that evening.

"¬Captain Testarossa is coming to Japan,¬" the Russian man said.

Sousuke frowned. "Why? I was not aware of any problems with my mission."

"¬The Captain and I aren't aware of any problems with your mission or how it's been conducted,¬" Kalinin explained.

"Then why is she coming to Japan, Sir?"

There was a faint rustle of papers before the older man answered. "¬Sergeant Sagara, what I'm about to tell you is not to be repeated; is that understood?¬"

"It is, Sir," Sousuke answered, snapping to attention.

"¬Good. It seems that it's not your performance that's being questioned. It's the Captain's. She's a good person, but I think that we both know that she's not someone you'd want to take with you into combat.¬"

The scarred youth nodded as he thought back to the previous time he'd helped out the Captain during her bet with Mao. "I see. What sort of training did you have in mind, Sir? The training facilities I have access to in Tokyo are limited."

"¬I think it would be best for you to help her with tactical awareness training, rather than physical fitness. Do you think you could assist her with that?¬" Kalinin asked.

"Yes, Sir. When will this new assignment begin?"

"¬Soon, I shall contact you again with more details in the next few days. The rest of Urzu team may be called upon to assist you.¬"

"Understood, Sir," Sousuke replied.

* * *

Half an hour later, Kaname Chidori was preparing herself to knock on the door to Sousuke's apartment. She wasn't sure if it was the "done thing" for a girl to visit a boy like this, but she did feel obligated to be nicer to Sousuke for saving her life.

Even if he did make it difficult at times with his random acts of violence and demolition.

The blue-haired girl took a deep breath and made sure she could be clearly seen in through the peep-hole before knocking on the door.

There was a pause before the chain was removed and the door opened.

"Can I help you, Chidori-san?"

"Good evening, Sousuke," Kaname smiled. "I was wondering if you've eaten."

The mercenary looked down at the container of food that his classmate had brought with her. "I haven't yet, I was busy performing maintenance."

"Then would you like some of this? It's curry."

"Thank you," Sousuke bowed in appreciation as he took the dish off Kaname. He was about close the door on her, when he realised that he hadn't given her notebook back. "Please come in and close the door. I'll get your notebook."

Kaname grimaced for a moment before stepping inside and closing the door behind her. She glanced around, unsure if she should be surprised or not that Sousuke hadn't done more to personalise his living space.

"Sousuke," she said after slipping off her shoes, "is everything alright?"

"Yes," the mercenary answered. "Why is everyone asking about my status today?"

"It's… well, it's because you're you," the Whispered replied. When it became clear that he didn't understand, Kaname clarified her point. "Let me explain that a bit better. Today, you were drenched by the sprinkler system."

"I've been colder and wetter," Sousuke countered.

"Well, maybe, but that's when you were on a mission."

"My mission is to protect you, Chidori-san. Besides, it's been quite warm today."

"I…" Kaname sighed. "I was talking about your scars, Sousuke. Today was the first time that a lot of people saw them. They're worried about you."

Sousuke blinked in surprise. He was used to people being concerned about him, whether it was as a child soldier in Helmajistan or a member of the Team Urzu, but these were people who had a vested interest in keeping him alive.

Compassion from strangers, however, seemed alien to him. And to be perfectly honest, it reminded him of the time he worked with Gauron.

"But why?"

"Because it's natural to feel compassion for your fellow human being, you big jerk!" Kaname shouted. She slapped her hand over her mouth as she realised what she'd just said. "I'm sorry, Sousuke. I didn't mean it like that, I just… Can't you understand why people want to make sure that you're OK?"

"I do, I just don't understand why these people are worried about me. Mao and Weber are my teammates; they've risked their lives for me, and I've risked my life for them."

"But you've helped out people who aren't your teammates or when it's not your mission," the blue-haired girl countered. "…"

"Is something the matter, Chidori-san?" Sousuke asked, noticing the sudden change in his guest's expression.

"Y-you never really had a childhood, did you?"

"I've been a soldier for as long as I can remember."

Kaname struggled to hold back the tears as she thought about the tragedy that was Sousuke Sagara's life so far.

"Oh Sousuke!" she cried as she rushed to embrace him.

"C-Chidori-san?"

"It'll be alright, Sousuke. Just let me hold you."

"C-can't b-breathe…"

"Oh, sorry, Sousuke," the blushing girl apologised as she loosened her grip, but still kept her arms around him. "I guess I got a little carried away."

It wasn't the first time that someone had "gotten a little carried away" when it came to showing affection to Sousuke, although, it hadn't happened for a while. Not since he'd joined MITHRIL.

Sousuke's posture stiffened as he realised something was wrong. "Chidori-san, why are you rubbing your cheek against my chest?"

"Because hugging you like this is nice, silly," the Whispered girl answered with a happy sigh.

The mercenary frowned; he couldn't spend the evening being hugged by Kaname, he had work to do! "Chidori-san, I don't mean to be rude, but I have several things to do this evening. Please release me."

"Sorry, Sousuke," Kaname finally let the slightly confused young man free. "But if you ever need someone to talk to, you can come to me."

* * *

Kurz Webber and Melissa Mao were off-duty, having decided to relax via one of their preferred methods: gossiping about friends and co-workers and teasing each other like there was no tomorrow.

"Do you think that there's something different about Sousuke lately?" the blonde man asked.

"In what way? I haven't seen him for over a week."

"Well, it was weird. I saw him yesterday, and well, something was different."

"You're making a great deal of sense here," Mao said, her voice thick with sarcasm. "You're telling me that you've got some vague gut feeling about Sousuke being a bit different, but I haven't seen him in over a week so I wouldn't know what you're talking about. Do you want to try that again?"

"OK," Kurz nodded. "I caught up with Sousuke the other day, after he'd been in the gym. He seemed a bit distant and distracted."

"Sousuke was never the most social of people, Weber, you know this. He's not the sort to easily open up to people," the Sergeant-Major replied. "It's not surprising, given what he's been through over the years."

"Yeah, but this was different," the sniper insisted. "It was like I had to go over to him and talk to him. Do something, anything make him feel better."

Mao blinked as she tried to process what her lecherous subordinate was telling her. It was a good thing that he was concerned for Sousuke's well-being, but she was beginning to get a little worried about the sniper's own mental health. 'It's like he's trying to tell me something.'

"By the way, just so we're clear, I'm not asking, so you don't have to tell, you know."

"That's not what I mean," Kurz sighed, rolling his eyes.

"What's not what you mean?" Kalinin asked as he approached the two NCOs.

"I…, it's nothing, Sir," the blonde insisted, hoping to save face. "We were just… bonding. You know how it helps soldiers develop the necessary trust in life or death situations."

"I do," the grey haired man nodded sagely. "It reminds me of the time Sergeant Sagara and I were reunited."

A wistful smile appeared on his lips for a brief moment. "But, that's not why I'm here. The Captain will be leaving the ship for some shore leave. As you two are currently unassigned, I've volunteered you two to escort her to Tokyo. Is that a problem?"

"No, sir," Mao replied, giving a crisp salute. "How long is this assignment?"

"Two weeks, the amount of time it will take to overhaul the palladium reactors on the Tuatha de Danaan."

"Two weeks? That's…" Kurz trailed off. "Wait – are you sure about this? I mean, two weeks sitting around watching the Captain visit Sousuke sounds like a waste of our skills to me."

"It's not just babysitting duty, Sergeant Weber; you will be assisting Sergeant Sagara provide some tactical awareness training to the Captain," Kalinin explained. "Prepare yourselves; the three of you are leaving in the morning."

"Sir," the sergeants saluted.

* * *

Things were still a little strange for Sousuke as he found himself walking to the train station with Kaname and Kyoko.

"Is something the matter?" he asked the two girls. "Both of you seem concerned about something."

"No," Kaname insisted.

"Well, there is one thing," Kyoko said, her cheeks turning pink.

"What can I do to help you, Tokiwa-san?"

"I was wondering… would it be possible to take some photos of you?"

"Photos? Of me? Why would anyone want photos of me?" Sousuke asked, clearly surprised by the request.

"Well, Gatoh-sensei said that I should ask for your permission if I'm going to take photos of you," the bespectacled girl answered.

The mercenary considered the request. Kyoko was a friend of Kaname and it would make his job easier if he remained on good terms with her friends. However, he was still a MITHRIL field operative and there were sensitive materials in his apartment; regular visitors would be troublesome.

"I have to be careful about being photographed," Sousuke said moments before the train pulled into the station. He waited for the train to pull to a halt before continuing. "But if you took the photographs at Jindai and only when there are several people in the photograph, then it might be alright."

"Thank you, Sousuke-kun," Kyoko smiled as she boarded the train with her friends.

Kaname wasn't sure how she felt about her friend suddenly taking an interest in Sousuke. Kyoko had a habit of documenting almost everything vaguely interesting she encountered and Sousuke certainly was interesting.

She didn't want her friend to get mixed up in the craziness that seemed to follow him. Kidnapping attempts, giant robots and other terrorist acts were hard for a girl to deal with.

And that didn't even consider the countless traumatic events that Sousuke had endured over the years. It would require a delicate touch and a great deal of patience in order to heal the emotional scars.

And maybe, just maybe, when the time was right, she would be the one on the receiving end of the delicate touch?

The blue-haired girl smiled enigmatically as the train left the station.

* * *

To be continued?


	2. Chapter 2

Tactical Retreat

By Lord Raa

* * *

Disclaim-me-do: Perhaps ½ teaspoon of crushed chillies is a little too much for a small mug of hot chocolate.

* * *

Chapter 2

* * *

Captain Tessa Testarossa was preparing some clothes to take on her forthcoming vacation. She considered the dress uniform she had on the hanger; it was formal, but it did hug her body in all the right places.

However, it was a reminder that she was Sousuke's commanding officer. Even if this was ostensibly a vacation, reminding Sousuke that he was her subordinate might not work in her favour if she wanted to become romantically involved with him.

'Sousuke is so formal,' the silver-haired young woman mused. 'It's nice that he's polite, but he's so distant… I need to show him that I'm not an unapproachable person, but someone who he can talk to about his problems.'

With that, Tessa discarded the idea of the dress uniform and selected most of her casual clothes. If things progressed to the point where the two of them were to go out for dinner in one of the more upmarket restaurants in Tokyo, then she'd just have to out and buy a new dress.

That idea made the Captain smile as she packed her suitcases.

* * *

If the conversation Sousuke Sagara had with Kaname Chidori and Kyoko Tokiwa earlier that morning had seemed odd, then the atmosphere at Jindai High School was entirely extraordinary.

Sousuke had often been on the receiving end of strange looks over the years. From the time he'd brought back a mountain goat after an assassination mission in Helmajistan to the time he had told Sergeant-Major Mao that he had experience with condoms.

Though, the oddest thing about that particular conversation was that Mao had seemed rather disappointed that he had used them as emergency water canteens rather than their intended use; with her muttering something about a missed opportunity for a practical demonstration under her breath.

As the trio approached the main building at Jindai, it seemed that the unusual atmosphere was caused by what could be described as a welcoming committee.

"O-Ren-san?" Kaname asked as Sousuke scanned the group for potential threats.

"We, that is the Student Council, would like to speak with Sagara-kun," Ren explained.

"Yes," Hayashimizu nodded before pushing his glasses up his nose. "There are some concerns about your well-being, Sagara-kun."

"I am fine, your Excellency," Sousuke replied.

"Please, I think it would be best if we were to have our talk in private."

"If you insist. I'll see you later, Chidori-san, Tokiwa-san."

* * *

As Sousuke sat in front of the Student Council, it reminded of a formal military hearing.

While he had experienced such occasions, he hadn't had to stand before one for some time. The last significant formal hearing concerned his deployment on the Tuatha De Danaan as part of the Special Response Team.

But now that the young mercenary thought about, it seemed that his superiors preferred more informal interaction with him.

Especially Captain Testarossa and the way she had dropped hints that he would be welcome to join her for dinner when he was on the submarine.

Shaking that line of thinking off, Sousuke turned his full attention to the Student Council.

"Now, Sagara-kun, you should know that a matter of grave concern has been brought to our attention."

"What would that be, Sir?" the soldier replied in a formal tone of voice.

"Yesterday, you were in the hallway when a sprinkler valve ruptured over where you were standing. Is this true?" Hayashimizu asked.

Sousuke nodded. "Yes sir, that is true."

"Sagara-kun, the council needs to know the extent of any injuries you suffered after yesterday's accident," the Council President continued. "While many students were inconvenienced by the sprinkler failure, you were the one who took the brunt of the water."

"I was not injured," Sousuke answered truthfully. "And I have washed and dried the shirt you loaned to me yesterday. It is in my bag."

"Thank you, Sagara-kun, I will collect it later today. Now, if we have settled the matter of the sprinkler incident, there is one other thing that has been brought to the Council's attention."

"What would that be, Sir?"

"It's a delicate matter, and I, we, the Student Council, do not mean to cause any offence," the President said, uncharacteristically dancing around the issue.

"I don't understand," the mercenary admitted. His keen vision scanned the room for clues as to what was causing the trouble.

The Council all seemed reluctant to press the matter, each of the members looking at their hands nervously until Ren Mikihara took the matter into her own hands.

"Sagara-kun, the Council is concerned about you and your well-being. While we're all very glad that you were unhurt yesterday, when you removed your shirt, it looked like you had been seriously injured in the past," she explained. "Possibly several times."

"Oh, you're referring to my scars?" Sousuke asked. He was relieved that he now knew what they were referring to. "I cannot talk about them to you."

"But…"

"In some cases, I cannot recall all of the details of the injury that caused the scar. In other cases, I cannot talk about the situation that caused me to suffer the injury as I have been sworn to secrecy."

Hayashimizu frowned slightly. "You have to understand that the Student Council was concerned that you were being ill-treated in some way. Is that the case?"

"No, Sir, it is not," the mercenary said honestly. "Any injuries that occur are occupational hazards."

"Very well," the President nodded. "Then you are dismissed. Please take care when you are doing whatever it is that occupies your time outside of school."

* * *

As he took his seat in class, Sousuke was coming to the conclusion that he would need to find a suitable explanation for his scars. Even Kaname Chidori, who knew some of the details about his role with MITHRIL, seemed to be increasingly concerned about them. They were becoming the elephant in the room.

Just ignoring the matter had served him well, but maintaining a silence around them was becoming troublesome as people were beginning to get curious. And he couldn't tell the truth about them, as several of them were sustained during classified missions.

So that seemed to leave him with one course of action: a cover story.

Unfortunately for Sousuke Sagara, he lacked experience with the creation and implementation of cover stories. He would need advice from someone with more experience with this sort of thing.

And the only people he could think of with experience of fabricating stories were his fellow members of Urzu team, Mao and Weber.

'I will need to speak with them soon.'

* * *

At the train station, Melissa Mao smirked as Kurz Weber struggled with Tessa's luggage.

"Careful with those cases, Weber," she warned. "They're expensive."

"I AM taking care of them," the sniper insisted. "Though it would be easier if you were to take one of them."

"And I thought you were a gentleman," Mao taunted. "You know, like how Sousuke is."

Tessa's head jerked up at the mention of Sousuke. "That reminds me," she said calmly, though her cheeks were turning pink as she voiced one of the most important details of her trip to Tokyo. "What are the sleeping arrangements going to be?"

Mao had noticed the Captain's crush on Sousuke a long time ago. And while she might have wanted to see the two young soldiers getting together, it might not be a good idea move things along without prior written approval from Kalinin and Mardukas.

"Well, since it's a two bedroom apartment, we'll be bunking up while Sousuke and Kurz take the other room."

The Whispered pouted as she realised that there'd be two chaperones, but her brilliant mind was already formulating a plan to allow her some personal time with certain young mercenary without too many interruptions.

'I might be able to bribe one of them to leave us alone for a few hours. But which one should I go for? I may only get one chance…'

* * *

Sousuke and Kaname walked home, enjoying the afternoon sunshine after a day that had been just as out of the ordinary as any they could recall.

While there had not been any significant events, such as an infrastructure failure, the faculty seemed to behave with a certain degree of hesitancy when they were around him.

It was as if they all expected him to have some sort of emotional breakdown.

He mentioned his observations to Kaname.

"Well," she said as they stopped at a crossing. "It's not every day that a Japanese high school encounters someone who's been through what you have."

"Possibly not, but that doesn't mean that I'm different from any other professional soldier, does it?" Sousuke asked as the lights changed.

"What?" a stunned Kaname asked. She realised that Sousuke was walking off without her and rushed to catch up. "You do know that in most countries, you have to be 18 to enlist, don't you?"

"I was not the only child to take up arms during my time in Helmajistan, Kaname. In fact, recently, I…"

"Yo, Sousuke!" a female voice called out, interrupting the recollection.

"Oh, hello, Mao-san," Kaname smiled politely. 'Perhaps she can help me make Sousuke see sense?'

"Heya, Kaname. So, what are you two up to?" Mao asked.

"We're just walking home from school," Kaname answered.

Sousuke, however, took a more pragmatic approach to his superior officer's presence. "Is something the matter, Sergeant Mao? Has Urzu team been recalled into action?"

"No, no," the Chinese-American woman said, flashing a disarming smile. "I'm just here to let you know that Tessa is in town."

Sousuke froze. He'd almost completely forgotten about the "tactical awareness training" he'd been ordered to give Tessa.

"Tessa?" Kaname repeated, inadvertently saving the young mercenary's blushes.

"Yeah, she's in town for a visit," Mao confirmed. She was about to add something about her looking forward to the visit when a car came speeding round a corner.

The driver of the black sedan soon lost control and the late model car started to spin off the road, onto the pavement where Mao and the two students were standing.

It was only Sousuke's reflexes that saved the two young women from a trip to the hospital. The scarred mercenary grabbed his friends and somehow managed to jump clear or the impact zone without anyone being hurt.

The car, however, was not so lucky and passenger side was severely dented and scratched. Moments later a trio of police cars arrived on the scene and uniformed officers surrounded the black sedan.

The reckless driver quickly surrendered and was escorted to the back of one of the police cars.

A policeman approached Sousuke and the two women who seemed to be holding onto him for dear life.

"Is everything all right? Are any of you hurt?"

"We're fine, Officer," Sousuke answered through gritted teeth. "Though I think my friends here are a little tense."

The policeman noticed that Mao and Kaname were in danger of squeezing the life out of the poor man. "So, what happened?"

The burst of adrenaline finally faded from Mao's system and she was able to relax enough to climb off Sousuke and relay what had happened.

"It was a lucky escape. I think we can add dangerous driving and reckless endangerment to this man's list of charges," the policeman said, casting a scowl at the suspect. "Please accept our apologies for the disruption to your day."

"It's alright," Mao said. "If you'll excuse us, we have to be going."

* * *

Meanwhile, at Sousuke's apartment, Tessa was talking with Kurz about the best way to progress her relationship with Sousuke.

"Sousuke doesn't pick up on subtle hints," the blonde mused. "Directly asking him out on a date would be your best option. Mao and I can look after Kaname for an afternoon."

"Yes, I should ask him out when he gets in," the Whispered nodded in approval. "I can even make it part of his tactical awareness lessons."

Unable to help himself, Kurz decided to add a suggestion that could ensure Tessa would have pole position in the race for Sousuke's heart. It would certainly get Mao back for making him carry all the bags from the station earlier.

"Of course, I could always find a way to leave you and Sousuke alone here in the apartment…"

The sniper was taken aback by the gleam in Tessa's eyes when she heard that.

"What are you thinking, Sergeant Weber?"

"Well, I could arrange a distraction so Mao and I have to leave the apartment. Nothing serious, but you should still have a bodyguard, I don't see why it shouldn't be Sousuke."

"Yes, I like this plan," the silver-haired girl nodded in approval. "Sousuke would need to hold me close to keep my safe and secure…"

* * *

"Sousuke, I'm sorry if I hurt you earlier," Kaname apologised as she saw the mercenary wince slightly as he checked his ribs.

"It's fine, Chidori-san. I was just taken by surprise," Sousuke smiled.

Melissa Mao was walking silently along with the two teenagers. She knew that it was hardly the most dangerous situation she'd been in that month, but something was different. She went over the possible reasons for why she felt different after the adrenaline surge.

One, it was because she was in non-combat situation. Japan was one of the safest countries in the world, so it was a fair assumption that a life-threatening situation was as unexpected as a lottery win.

But that reason felt a little hollow. After the time they'd all scrambled when the proximity alert on Kaname's apartment had sounded and it transpired that it was a classmate that was being bullied into a panty raid, Mao had calmed down pretty quickly.

The second possible reason was because Kaname Chidori was also in danger. But that didn't feel right, either. Sousuke had bled to keep Kaname alive, so a minor car accident wouldn't have made her feel this way.

The third reason was that she hadn't been the one to react to keep everyone safe. 'Perhaps I need to go on this "tactical awareness course", too…'

That thought amused her to the point where she smiled. However a brief possibility crossed her mind as she considered spending time with Sousuke.

'You did like it when Sousuke held you close. And perhaps he'd like to be held close, too. You are a grown woman after all…'

The Sergeant-major shook her head. 'No, you can't think like that. Sousuke is your subordinate. It's improper. If a man ordered you to sleep with him, you'd cut his balls off!'

"Wait, who said anything about orders?" Mao blurted out, her cheeks colouring slightly.

"Mao?" Sousuke asked, turning to face his teammate. "Is something wrong?"

"What? No, I was just thinking about a previous assignment," she lied. "Something that happened a long time ago."

"OK," Kaname nodded, hoping to change the subject. "So, Sousuke, what's your plan for the weekend?"

"I'm giving some tactical awareness training," the scarred teenager replied. When he saw the blue-haired girl pout slightly, he decided against mentioning that it was for Tessa. "It shouldn't take all weekend, Chidori-san, so I might be free later. However, I can't guarantee when this would be. I would hate to disappoint you."

"Give me a call tomorrow then," Kaname winked before entering her apartment building.

* * *

As a concession to his teammate, Sousuke took the elevator up to his floor rather than the stairs. Something felt a little uncomfortable, but he took that to be the unfamiliarity of taking the elevator and its lack of exits rather than the fact that Mao seemed to be standing much closer to him than normal.

What also seemed odd was the way that Mao took his hand and led him to the apartment door.

"Mao?"

"Oh, sorry, I was just thinking about something else," the Sergeant-major replied blushing. 'I can't believe I grabbed his hand like that...'

Sousuke opened the door to see Tessa and Kurz sitting at the table while they chatted. "Captain, is there anything I can get for you?"

"Hello, Sousuke," the Whispered smiled. "We were just deciding what to have for dinner tonight. Is there anything in particular you'd like?"

"Not really," the mercenary replied.

"Then we could have takeout?" Kurz asked with a smile. "I hear that there's this place around the corner that does awesome ramen to go."

Mao nodded in approval. "Sounds good to me. What about you, Sousuke?"

Sousuke didn't see any reason to object to that planned meal. "That's not a problem for me. Captain, you're our guest, is this acceptable for you?"

"Yes, I think it'd be nice to have some ramen for dinner."

"Then it's settled. Well volunteered, Kurz," Mao beamed. "I'll have the seafood special. Best get some gyoza for us all to share, a couple of different flavours."

The blonde was about to protest that it wasn't fair for him to have to sort out the meal, when he realised that it was a good chance to let Tessa get closer to Sousuke.

And that was something that could possibly have other benefits. 'Maybe the Captain might grateful enough to get me a promotion or pay rise…'

"Alright, I'll go order it. Who wants what?"

* * *

Dinner was a pleasant affair, with everyone enjoying their meal. It was enough to make Sousuke visibly relax around his friends and comrades. Mao noticed this and asked about school.

"There was an... incident at Jindai yesterday," Sousuke admitted. "I was standing under a sprinkler valve when it failed, drenching me."

"Oh no, were you hurt?" Tessa asked, her voice filled with concern.

"No, just inconvenienced," he replied. "However, it did bring up another issue. When I was changing into a fresh shirt, some people noticed my scars."

Mao nodded, she'd seen the wound he'd sustained when rescuing Kaname. "What did you tell them?"

"I did not want to compromise anyone, but as I did not feel comfortable lying to the Student Council, I told them that I couldn't remember the details for all of the scars and I couldn't talk about the others. I didn't know what else to say at the time, but I will need a more convincing explanation in the future."

"So you need a cover-story? As luck would have it, I'm pretty good at coming up with this sort of thing," Kurz grinned.

"I can believe that," Mao teased. "No doubt you've told many stories to get women into bed with you…"

"Hey," the sniper shrugged, "It's not like I can tell them the truth about me working for MITHRIL, now is it?"

"Perhaps we should focus on helping Sousuke out," Tessa suggested. "Perhaps you could tell the faculty that you were in a serious accident?"

"I'd believe that, too," Mao grinned. "I remember how many times you came home bruised when we started this mission to look after Kaname."

"And if we said that there was pending litigation, then it would cover Sousuke in the event that people wanted details," Tessa added, ignoring the mention of Kaname.

"But I will still need to explain what the accident was."

Kurz finished eating his ramen. "You've been injured while piloting an AS, right? So why not say that an AS exploded near you? It's technically the truth, isn't it?"

"Yes," Sousuke nodded. Over the course of his career, many Arm Slaves had exploded near him.

"Then it's settled," Tessa smiled happily.

* * *

When he was sure that Sousuke was asleep, Kurz began to put his plan into action. As quietly as possibly, he grabbed the handcuffs he'd hidden away and moved towards Sousuke's bunk.

He'd had visions of allowing Tessa to do what she wanted with a helpless Sousuke. And it was something that'd he'd found hot in the past with the right girl.

Sousuke's sudden movement from his side to his front made things difficult for the blonde sniper to set things up as he wanted and he'd accidentally restrained the teenager face down on the bed.

"Crap," Kurz muttered.

"What? Kurz? What's going on here?" Sousuke demanded.

"Shush, Sousuke!"

* * *

Elsewhere in the apartment, Mao and Tessa paused in their small talk. The silver-haired girl had been skirting around the subject of Sousuke for some time.

The fact that she hadn't brought up how she felt about him made Mao somewhat suspicious.

It was then that she heard some noises from Sousuke's room. "Did you hear that?"

"That sounded like it came from Sousuke's room!"

The two rushed to see what was going on and were understandably shocked to be greeted by the sight of Sousuke in his sleepwear lying face down on his bed with Weber trying to keep him quiet.

"What's going on here?" Mao demanded. "Are those handcuffs?!"

"I can explain!" the sniper insisted.

"What are you doing to sergeant Sagara?" Tessa asked, unsure of why Kurz would want to restrain Sousuke. Her face turned scarlet as the most shocking possibility entered her head. "A-are you planning to…"

"No-no-no-no-no!" Weber protested, waving his hands up in a placating manner.

"Kurz, you have thirty seconds to free Sousuke or I will pull out your spine," Mao warned.

The blonde fumbled for the keys and released the teenager. "I'm sorry, Sousuke, this wasn't meant to happen like this!"

"How was it supposed to happen?" Mao demanded as she helped Sousuke off his bunk. "He was supposed to bite the pillow while you had your way with him?!"

"I was not planning to fuck Sousuke in the butt!"

"Then why would you handcuff him face down on his bed?" Tessa asked in confusion.

"I… he was meant to be on his back…" Kurz's answer trailed off as he realised just what he was saying.

"Oh, so you wanted to look into his eyes?" Mao accused, standing protectively in front of the young man in question.

"Don't worry, Sgt. Sagara, we won't let anyone hurt you," Tessa said reassuringly. "What should we do now, Sgt. Mao?"

Melissa turned to look at Sousuke, who was more confused than hurt at what was going on. She let out a sigh when she looked into his eyes. 'I can see why Kurz wanted him on his back. Those eyes…'

Shaking her head, she decided that things would be best dealt with in the morning. "However, since we can't be sure that Sousuke will be safe with this maniac free, we'll have to tie him up. Let's see how he likes it!"

"Hey!" the blonde protested. "I only did this for T…"

"Better gag him, too," the Whispered smirked evilly.

* * *

Once "justice had been served," Sousuke found himself drinking a cup of hot chocolate and sitting on the couch next to Tessa and Melissa. Both of them had insisted that he called them by their first names.

It felt weird at first, given that they were both his superiors, but when he'd seen Mao put the boot in a few times when tying up Kurz, he decided to acquiesce.

Unsure of what to make of this situation, other than it wasn't the first time something like this had happened. He turned to Mao, someone who understood people more than he did. "So, Melissa, why do you think that Kurz was acting like that? He's never said or done anything that suggested he liked me in that way before."

The Chinese-American sighed. What was she supposed to tell him? That Weber couldn't control his urges and wanted to slake his sexual desires on his firm, muscular ass?

No, that would be weird. As would using those words, she noted. "I don't really know, Sousuke."

"What about you, Tessa?" the confused young man asked. "Can you think of a reason for why Weber would do such a thing?"

Tessa blushed. She could think of a reason for tying Sousuke to a bed. In fact, she was kind of wishing that he was still restrained so she could snuggle up to him and kiss his manly chest and… 'Wait, was Weber trying to help me with Sousuke by handcuffing him to the bed?' "I… it's hard to know, Sousuke. I don't think that Sergeant Weber is the sort of person to randomly handcuff people to beds for immoral purposes."

"That said," Mao added, "I'm sure he's had experience with beds and handcuffs before…"

"We should let him explain himself in the morning," Sousuke opined. "It could all be a misunderstanding."

"You're too kind, Sousuke," said Mao just before she took a sip of her hot chocolate.

"He's saved my life, so I owe him the chance to explain what happened."

Tessa placed her cup on the table before yawning. As she stretched, she placed an arm around Sousuke's shoulders.

"Ca- Tessa?"

"Oh, sorry," the Whispered blushed as she retrieved her arm. "I'm just tired."

"We all are," Mao decided, hoping to put an end to any further attempts on Sousuke's chastity. "Sousuke, will you be OK on the couch tonight?"

"Yes."

* * *

To be continued…


End file.
